California Fire Followers 2020's Boletim

I want to take a quick moment to share a feeling of immense gratitude for how far the Fire Followers Project has come. Thank you all for the continuous support and participation in our project. Thanks to every single person involved, our 2020 Fire Followers Project has reached well over 67,000 observations, 3,500+ observers and 2,500+ identifiers! I cannot wait to see what this year brings and I look forward to reaching that 100,000th observation soon!

With that being said, I am thrilled to announce the addition of our new 2021 Fire Followers Project which will add all the burn perimeters from this past fire season. Head over to our 2021 project to follow and trust the project! We will continue to post events and challenges on both projects so stay tuned for that!

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-fire-followers-2021

You are tagged in this post because you are among some of the top contributors and we hope you continue to take part in our project!
@graysquirrel @marivillasol @lexibug @dlevitis @charlescrussell @arlenedevitt @naturecandids @paulknoepfler @silversea_starsong @aaron_echols @egates @arboretum_amy @leptonia @apatten @wildmare64 @jimmy_cras @jonathan27 @mylan @browntrekker @makayla-in-the-mountains @ekoberle @tiwane @damontighe @kueda @lglevanik @spifferella @plantsarecool @newtpatrol @garth_harwood @aigner @gilbertj @fredwatson @graham_coop @morganstickrod @hikingsandiego @thea_maria @coffearobusta42 @jrebman @jacquelinerose @fowlivia @catchang @yerbasanta @earth_tide @madily @tmanzanillo @caenvsci @leslie_flint @billjk @metsa @nelruzam @megan_means @dpom @snakeinmypocket @mudthrower @jrlynx @lgerstein78 @keeferchunk @abr @sferry @aparrot1 @ten_salamanders @isaac_krone @cwendy @smfang @chloe_and_trevor @dgreenberger @lucymarcus @cjs041 @lithostrotionella @geodani @grnleaf @jellyfishww @rupertclayton @alan_rockefeller @danieldas @ronvanderhoff @sedgequeen @matt_g @jdmore @finatic @laurence @sgene @lehacarpenter @electroencephalograph @helianthelsa @tmessick @fa1conx @andyjones1 @david99 @arkstorm @cwbarrows @gyrrlfalcon @roomthily @abcdefgewing @lilithohlson

Observation © Amelia Ryan · some rights reserved
Skunky Monkeyflower (Diplacus mephiticus)

Imagine being in a lockout and delaying Spring Training, couldn’t be us! Today would have marked the first day of Spring Training for the MLB, so this week we are also gearing up to do a Spring Training of our own!

To recap what has happened early this year, our Fire Followers 2020 project is close to 70k observations! We are so close to 100k and I can’t wait to see us reach that point! Also, due to the success and continued support of our Fire Followers Campaign, we have also launched our 2021 Fire Followers project. Feel free to check it out and join here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-fire-followers-2021
*More information on our website

It’s been a short winter, and this weekend is time for our Spring Training to commence! Let’s get out there and stretch so we’re field-ready!

1) Fire Followers Cactus League:

DATES:
Friday, February 18 - Sunday, February 27

Details:
This is Part 1 of our first observation challenge. Each plant family below will be a team participating in this challenge! You will have from this Friday-Sunday, February 27 to make as many observations as possible. At the end, the top 3 observers from the top 3 teams will be rewarded with some Fire Followers merch! Any observation added to either the 2020 or 2021 project will count.

Top observer from the top team: Fire Followers Shirt
Top observer from the 2nd and 3rd place teams: Fire Followers Pin and Sticker

Teams
Apiaceae
Violaceae
Boraginaceae
Montiaceae
Orobanchaceae
Delphinium
Iridaceae
Primulaceae
Asparagaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Ranunculus
Quercus
Papaveraceae
Melanthiaceae
Lupinus

2) Fire Followers Grapefruit League:
DATES: Friday, March 4 - Sunday, March 13
Teams will be announced once the first challenge is completed

3) The Real Spring [Plant Identification] Training:
Getting out in the field is just one part of Spring Training! Join our “coaching staff” for plant identification drills to sharpen your skills. Mark your calendars and keep these dates in mind: March 17 and March 31st!
These ID webinars will be led by experts in the community where they will show you the "tips and tricks” as well as what is not included in the key to look for in specific plant groups.

More information is coming very soon!

4) Upcoming Events to Prepare For:

City Nature Challenge 2022
DATES| April 29 -May 2

The 2022 City Nature Challenge organized by the California Academy of Sciences is right around the corner! The City Nature Challenge is a world-wide bioblitz with the goal of collecting as many iNaturalist observations as possible in one weekend in participating cities and surrounding areas! This is a fun and COVID-safe way to explore, learn about nature, and collect important data used by researchers and land managers. You can make observations of any species you encounter!
Be sure to join your city and keep an eye out for events near you.
More information is coming soon!

Save Mount Diablo’s BioBlitz
Dates: April 16 - April 30
Focus: SCU Lightning Complex Footprint: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-fire-followers-2020-scu-lightning-complex

Our partners at Save Mount Diablo will be holding Bioblitz/iNaturalist training webinars before the event!
More information is coming soon!

5) Before you go:
If this is your first time going to a burn site, be sure to check out information on our site: https://www.cnps.org/fire-followers/know-before-you-go

Also, check out our burn area page to find locations accessible near you! Be sure to check any closure status first. Our website contains some known accessible burn areas but always double check to be safe.

Feel free to check out this map on Google MyMaps which contains the 2020 and 2021 burn areas! You can always copy the map and insert any .gpx files of known trails to check if they're within the burn area. Feel free to contact me and I can help to the best of my ability as well.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=15LJFqP1s8lsn11uXkWiNT4A_JZdmQwPY&usp=sharing

This map will soon be available on our Burn Area section of the website